UPDATE ON CLASSES: Due to the ongoing COVID-19 public health emergency, the Cultural Arts Center class registration (originally scheduled for April 18) is on hold until further notice. Please check back for updates or visit columbus.gov/RecParksCOVID19/ for information about all Columbus Recreation and Parks programs.

A Letter to the CAC Community

First, let me say that we miss you. We miss the smiling faces that stop in to the CAC each day; we miss the amazing art being created by all of you in our studios; we miss our talented and generous team of faculty members. I’ve been thinking a lot about what is helping me and my family through this period: books, movies, music… in short, art. We hope that you are finding your way through this challenging and sometimes frightening time and we hope that the art in your life is keeping your spirits up!

We wanted to send
a note to catch you up on what our tiny team has been working on behind the
scenes:

First, if you were
registered for one of our classes in the March/April Session please know that
we are working on processing refunds for you. If your class was already into
the second week, you will be receiving a 75% refund. If classes were cancelled
before your second class, you’ll receive
a full refund. All refunds will be mailed out to you from the City of Columbus
in the form of a check. Unfortunately, at this time we cannot offer anyone a “raincheck”
for classes that will occur in the future.

Also, many have asked about picking up work or tools from the Center. In the interest of public health and safety, we’ve been asked to keep the general public clear of the space for the time being. At the same time, we recognize that our clay works in particular may not outlast this rotten virus. To that end, we’ve arranged for staff to visit the center periodically to keep an eye on our ceramic and clay sculpture studios.

If you are missing
the Center, we’ve got a few things
planned in this break:

Todd Camp will be offering free online lessons from his home studio in the coming weeks (Watch for those on Facebook);

Our website is being reconfigured as a resource for you to enjoy some of the best online art making options we could find. We plan to add new info weekly.

Need some inspiration? We’ll be issuing weekly art challenges to you all on Instagram and Facebook. Tag us using #CACCreates with your home creations and your artwork could be selcted to be featured on our social media pages. Follow us to find out more: @caccolumbus on Instagram / “Columbus Cultural Arts Center” on Facebook

Finally, with all of the need out there you may be looking for ways to help. The Greater Columbus Arts Council has set up a special fund to support artists in our community. As you’ve probably seen in the news, the arts community has been hit especially hard during this time of mass closures: Performances, exhibitions and classes have been canceled all over the city, resulting in lost income for many of those who inspire us the most. If you’d like to contribute to the relief effort, please visit the Emergency Relief for Artists Fund page.

More than anything we wish you continued health and safety. We look forward to seeing you all again soon.